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For more than a decade, Arizona football fans have thought the 1899 Territorial Cup was awarded to the victor of the first rivalry game between the University of Arizona and the school that became Arizona State.

But new research upends that.

It's true that the trophy — now certified to be the oldest rivalry trophy in college football — was awarded to the Territorial Normal School, at the time a teachers college in Tempe. And it's true that Normal beat UA in 1899.

But the trophy was awarded for having the best record in the inaugural season of the Territorial Foot Ball League — not for winning the UA game. The trophy wasn't presented after the game in 1899.

Research by the archivist at Arizona State University, Rob Spindler, showed that the silver-plated cup was awarded to the Territorial Normal School in Tempe two months later, well into January of 1900.

Previously, Spindler had concluded the cup was awarded to the victor of the first rivalry game, played on Thanksgiving in 1899.

Spindler had also concluded that the Normal School went 3-0 that season, culminating with the 11-2 victory over UA. But, his new research shows, the team actually went 5-1-1.

A photo of the Normal School team with the first cup, which has the year 1899 engraved into it, was thought to have been taken in November 1899. But Spindler found an eyewitness account of the trophy ceremony that places it on Jan. 26, 1900.

A photo of the 1899 Territorial Normal School At Tempe football team with their championship trophy. This photo was originally thought to have been taken on Thanksgiving 1899 following the Tempe school's victory against the University of Arizona. New research shows it was taken in January 1900.
Photo courtesy: ASU Archives(Photo: Photo by Arizona State University)

"We've learned a lot more than what we previously knew," Spinder said.

The cup, which is up for grabs in the annual game on Friday, has been awarded to the winner of the rivalry game each year since 2001. A replica trophy is used for post-game ceremonies. The actual trophy, which is still official property of ASU, travels for display under strict protocol agreed to by both universities.

Spindler said he believes the trophy was kept in the office of the president of the Normal School after it was won in 1900. He doesn't believe it was awarded in subsequent years.

The cup was found in the basement of a Tempe church in 1983. It was made part of the university's archives and placed on display in the department's reading room, Spindler said.

In 1996, as part of Super Bowl festivities, the trophy was displayed at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport. Two UA fans saw it and suggested it be awarded again to the winner of the rivalry game. An agreement took a few years to hammer out. But the cup was awarded to Arizona when it won the 2001 edition of the game.

Arizona State opffensive lineman William McGehee and Antonio Longino celebrate with the Territorial Cup after defeating Arizona during the 89th meeting between the two programs on Nov. 21, 2015 in Tempe. Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports

Arizona State cornerback Lloyd Carrington returns an interception for a touchdown against Arizona in the fourth quarter during the 89th Territorial Cup on Nov. 21, 2015 in Tempe. Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports

Arizona State quarterback Taylor Kelly is hit by Arizona's Scooby Wright III and fumbles the ball on Friday, Nov. 28, 2014 in Tucson. The ball was recovered by Arizona and returned for a touchdown in UA's victory. Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports

ASU and UA players shove each other during a brawl that broke out following the game which the UA won at Sun Devil Stadium on Nov. 23, 2001. The Wildcats set off a melee in 2001 by stomping on Arizona State's Sparky logo at midfield after beating the Sun Devils 34-21 in Tempe. Mike Rynearson/azcentral sports

ASU tight end Todd Heap celebrates as he runs the ball past Arizona's Greg Payne to score the Sun Devils' fourth touchdown of the game on a fourth down trick play in 1999. Pat Shannahan/azcentral sports

The kick by University of Arizona's Alex Zendejas is blocked by Arizona State's James Brooks in double overtime giving ASU a 30-29 win at Arizona Stadium on Dec. 2, 2010, in Tucson, Ariz. Dean Knuth/Arizona Daily Star

ASU's Terry Richardson returns the ball for a touchdown in the fourth quarter which then was tied after a two-point converson. Kicker Jesse Ainsworth kicked a game winning field goal with seconds left against the U of A in Sun Devil Stadium. The Sun Devils won 23-20. Tom Tingle/azcentral sports

ASU's Matt Miller reacts after missing a pass, turning the ball over to Arizona in the remaining minutes of the game against Arizona in 2004 at Arizona Stadium in Tucson. Deirdre Hamill/azcentral sports

UA Dick Tomey has some words for ASU coach Bruce Snyder after the Sun Devils beat the Wildcats 56-14 on Nov. 23, 1996, in Tucson. The game was marred by trash-talking and questionable hits by both teams. Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports

Around that time, after petitioning by the UA alums, the cup was certified by the National Collegiate Athletics Association as the oldest rivalry trophy in the country.

The Territorial Cup is in the NCAA record book on a list of "College Football Trophy Games." It lists 1899 as the "season the trophy was first exchanged."

Mark Bedics, the assistant director of statistics for the NCAA, said on Tuesday that, even with the new history, the cup can still claim that starting date.

"As long as the trophy still existed, and then it was still exchanged, I think it's still good," Bedics said. "We're talking about which is the oldest trophy going, period."

The next oldest trophy is the Little Brown Jug, which has been awarded to the winner of the University of Michigan and University of Minnesota game since 1909, according to a history on the Michigan website.

Both the Michigan and Minnesota team websites call the Little Brown Jug the oldest rivalry trophy, despite the NCAA record book.

Derek Satterfield, director of athletic communications at Michigan, said the teams have played for the jug 96 times. He said the Territorial Cup history cannot match that.

"If Arizona and Arizona State didn't play for it until 2001, I don't know how there's even a debate," Satterfield said.

Spindler said he decided to take another look at the cup's history before the 2013 game. A Republic reporter had also asked him to clear up the tale after finding articles in the newspaper's archives that referenced a league trophy.

This time the search turned up a batch of previously unseen articles from that time period, Spinder said. He credits improvements in software that reads the microfilm containing historic newspapers.

"I was finding references to games that the Normals played that we didn't know about," he said.

He also started searching for "foot ball," as two words, rather than "football." Spindler said he found more than 100 new articles.

One detailed the formation of the Arizona Foot Ball League at the Adams Hotel in Phoenix on Sept. 30, 1899. At that time, the article said, the league consisted of teams from Phoenix High School, Phoenix Indian School and the Arizona Territorial Normal School in Tempe. The article said that the University of Arizona and a Prescott town team would be added later.

Spindler said the football being played was more like sandlot football. The games had no passing, just running plays with the aim of outmuscling or outsmarting the defense. "The idea that a high school could play the university or play a normal school was OK," he said.

Phoenix High School was the biggest draw, according to Spindler's research. Its Thanksgiving day game against the Indian school at Eastlake Park in Phoenix outdrew the inaugural UA game against the Normals in Carrillo Park in Tucson, Spindler said.

The team from Tempe wore black sweaters with the white letter "N" on the chest. The UA team wore light-colored uniforms with sage-green stripes.

Spindler discovered a news clipping about that first game in the scrapbook of the team's star fullback Charlie Haigler. The player had donated the scrapbook to the university's archives.

The final paragraph of the story from the Tempe News reads: "The game throughout was characterized by gentlemanly conduct, clean and snappy playing and total absence of slugging, 'jawing' or other…" The clip cuts off at this point.

The Normal School would play three more games, winning two and ending one in a scoreless tie. It earned them the best record in the league.

"This game gives the Tempe normal foot ball team the championship of the territory and they have thereby won the cup given by the Arizona foot ball league, which has been ordered and is expected to be here in a few days," read an article in The Arizona Republican on Jan. 21, 1900.